The History of France

France is an ancient country and this overview just outlines the important dates in the history of France, www.information-france.co.uk will in time add more on the history of France and if you wish to have your article on the history of France published online please click here send us your article and your contact details.

Pre Roman and Gallo Roman Era

In around 600BC the Greeks formed a settlement at Marseille and conquered the Celtic tribes southern Gaul around 300 BC where they flourished for many years until the arrival of the Romans in Provence around 121BC, from this foothold the Romans grew in strength and led by Julius Caesar crushed the Gallic tribes in 58BC. The period between the 3rd and 5th century saw the Roman Empire attacked from many different tribes, the barbarian invasion of Roman Gaul was followed by attacks from the Goths, Vandals and the Franks. During this period Christianity gained a foothold and the Gallo Roman town of Lutece became Paris. The rise of Christianity was everywhere in France and there are many Gallo Roman churches in every part of France. 476 AD saw the overthrow of the last Roman Emperor which led to the end of the Roman Empire.

The Dark Ages

In 496 Clovis the Frank, first ruler of the Merovingian Empire was converted to Christianity and in around 630 the first of many Benedictine Monasteries was build. In 751 Pepin the Short became the first ruler of the Carolingian dynasty. His son Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 and in 843 the treaty of Verdun split the Carolingian into three parts.

The Middle Ages

You will start to see more visible evidence of the period and beyond as you travel around France, In 910 the Benedictine monastery at Clune was built. In 987 Hugh Capet became the first leader of the Capetian Dynasty, then of course in 1066 came the Norman conquest of England. Now the history of France started to become more aligned with the history of England. In 1152 Henry Plantagenet (Henry II) married Eleanor of Aquitaine which resulted in one third of France in the hands of the English. In 1180 Philip Augustus began his 43 year reign, in 1214 he won the Battle of Bouvines and won back territory from the English. 1226 saw the start of the reign of Louis IX, Philip IV "The Fair" crowned in 1185 and in 1305 the Papacy was transferred from Rome to Avignon. In 1328 Philip VI was crowned King and presided over the start of the 100 years war with England in 1337. In 1348 France like the whole of Europe was ravaged by The Black Death.

The Renaissance

1415 was a notable year in French history, in this year the French were defeated by Henry V of England at the battle of Agincourt. In 1429 Joan of Arc led French troops against the English at Dauphin and Charles VIII was crowned king at Reims. 1431 saw Joan of Arc burned at Rouen and 1453 the end of the 100 years war. Between 1494 and 1559 France and Austria entered into a bloody war over Italian territory. In 1515 the renaissance prince Francois I was crowned and introduced fine Italian artists to his court. Between 1562 and 1598 the Huguenots started a war with the Catholics and in 1594 Henry of Navarre was converted to Catholicism and crowned Henry IV. 1624 Cardinal Richelieu repressed the Protestants and took France into a 30 year war with the Hapsburgs. With the Accession of Louis XV came a series of expensive military defeats and the loss of the French North American colonies. 1774 saw the Accession of Louis XVI.

The First Empire and Restoration.

1789 saw the storming of the Bastille and in 1792 Louis XVI was overthrown and the First Republic was declared. 1793 Louis XVI was executed during Robespierre's region of terror, Marie Antoinette was executed nine months later and Robespierre himself in 1794. In 1804 Napoleon was crowned as Emperor and after many great victories he was finally defeated by the British and Prussians at Waterloo in 1815 and exiled to St Helena. In 1830 revolution deposed Charles X in favour of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philppe.

The Second Empire

In 1851 the Coup d'etat by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte saw the creation of the second empire, in 1870 the Franco-Prussian War saw Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon III) overthrown.

Third and Fourth Republic

1871 saw the Paris uprising with 25,000 people killed and created the Third Republic. In 1889 Paris held the Universal Exhibition and the Eiffel Tower was built.1887 saw the Dreyfus Affair. 1914 was of course the start of WWI with 1916 being at landmark year that saw the dreadful battle of Verdun. 1918 saw the end of WWI and in 1919 the misguided Treaty of Versailles took place. In 1940 Paris was bombed and Paris was occupied, General De Gaulle appealed for help. In 1944 the Allies landed at Normandy on D-Day, Paris was liberated and General De Gaulle headed a provisional government until 1946 when a fourth Republic was declared. 1945 saw the end of WWII. In 1946 war commenced in Indo-China and in 1954 France withdrew from Indo China and the Algerian insurrection started. In 1958 the Algerian crisis toppled the Fourth Republic.

Fifth Republic.

In 1959 General De Gaulle was elected as the first president of the Fifth Republic and in 1962 AD Algeria was granted independence. From this date on France has stabilised and modern history has seen leader such as Georges Pompidou, Valerie Giscard-d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand form the France we know today and integrate France with the EU.

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